In each of the incidents, the illegal firearm was discovered when the subject vehicle underwent secondary examination on the Windsor side of the bridge.

The most recent of the cases happened on March 26. CBSA said a Michigan man was found to have an undeclared pistol stowed next to the driver’s seat of his vehicle.

The Michigan man was fined $2,660 and charged with multiple violations of the Customs Act, including failure to report, making false statements, and possession of unlawfully imported goods.

There was a similar incident on March 12 involving a man from Alabama. In his case, the firearm — which was loaded — was hidden underneath the driver’s seat.

The Alabama man was fined $1,000 and also charged under the Customs Act.

A case involving a vehicle with two occupants from Colorado took place on March 4.

The prohibited firearm was stored under the front passenger seat with two 19-round magazines.

The two Colorado residents were charged by CBSA under the Customs Act, and additionally charged by Windsor police.

At other border crossings in Ontario in March: three vintage sports cars that were being imported to Canada via the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia were found to have been undervalued by a total of nearly $37,000.

At the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, two Mississauga residents coming back to Canada after a shopping trip in Buffalo were found to have 45.5 litres (33 bottles) of undeclared wines and spirits in the trunk of their vehicle.

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/handguns-seized-in-three-incidents-on-canadian-side-of-ambassador-bridge-in-march/feed0Looking down the barrel of a semi-automatic pistol on display at a NRA meeting in Indiana in April 2014. (Karen Bleier / AFP / Getty Images)winstarchenBorder officer helps Windsor police catch suspect in downtown Tim Hortons robberyhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-guard-helps-windsor-police-catch-suspect-in-downtown-tim-hortons-robbery
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-guard-helps-windsor-police-catch-suspect-in-downtown-tim-hortons-robbery#commentsFri, 10 Apr 2015 19:30:28 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=465572]]>Windsor police are crediting a member of the Canada Border Services Agency for helping nab a suspect in a downtown robbery.

The crime occurred around 6:30 a.m. Friday at the Tim Hortons location at 80 Park St. E., just across the street from the Canadian exit of the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

Police were told that a man had entered the business, went to the counter, and demanded money. After receiving a small quantity of cash, he fled on foot and was last seen running east.

A witness to the crime pointed out the suspect to a CBSA officer, who continued to watch the man.

The attending patrol officer met with the border officer, and they both located the suspect a short distance away from the crime scene.

The Windsor police officer ordered the suspect to get on the ground. Working in co-operation with the officer, the CBSA member secured the suspect.

The stolen money was recovered.

Brandon Nunn, 24, of Windsor, faces one count of robbery.

In a statement, Windsor police extended their appreciation to “our law enforcement partners at the CBSA and this officer for his actions.”

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-guard-helps-windsor-police-catch-suspect-in-downtown-tim-hortons-robbery/feed0A 2012 Google Maps image of the Tim Hortons location at 80 Park St. East in downtown Windsor.winstarchenBorder blueshttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/open-newsroom/letters/border-blues
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/open-newsroom/letters/border-blues#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 15:05:14 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=430058]]>Daily border commuters have grown accustomed to queuing in tunnel traffic, breathing fumes under the Detroit River even during off-peak hours, finally entering Canada to find only half of the inspection booths active or temporarily closed by leisurely five-minute long shift changes.

We understand that this is due to an endless labour/management “dance” between the CBSA executive striving for a measure of staffing efficiency demanded by their federal government masters met with resistance by the officers’ union enforcing onerous work rules at every turn.

As a result, rarely has the capacity of the current inspection facilities been fully deployed.

This notwithstanding, our provincial government was determined to spend liberally (if not blindly) on border infrastructure improvements, sacrificing millions of public dollars and robbing us of a perfectly good major downtown road right of way to build a little-used new vehicle queuing loop flanked by a couple of very strangely designed maintenance buildings (resembling the Gates of Babylon) and an elaborate atrium-illuminated new satellite inspection hall (far removed from the main existing office) intended for redirected Nexus and commercial traffic.

This construction has now been complete for months.

Sadly though, no operational improvement has resulted, primarily because there was never a sufficient number of staff available to man this redundant office in the first place. So, the new facility sits there largely underutilized while the existing Nexus regimen remains.

Dare we say that it was a grotesque waste of money? Certainly, another clear example of feckless incompetence demonstrated by all levels of government leaving the travelling public and taxpayers holding the bag.

GREGORY HEIL, Windsor

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/open-newsroom/letters/border-blues/feed0A Canada Border Services officer walks past a vehicle at primary inspection at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in Windsor, Ontario on June 18, 2014. (Jason Kryk/The Windsor Star)starcitydeskBorder runner case to be handled by CBSAhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-runner-case-to-be-handled-by-cbsa
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-runner-case-to-be-handled-by-cbsa#commentsThu, 08 Jan 2015 22:10:59 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=424584]]>The case of a U.S. man who fled border guards on our side of the bridge will be handled by the Canada Border Services Agency — not Windsor police.

Windsor police spokesman Sgt. Matthew D’Asti said that although WPS arrested the man with the help of OPP on Wednesday afternoon, he has since been turned over to CBSA for processing.

“There are no Windsor police charges, per se, but there will be charges coming from the CBSA,” D’Asti said. “It’s their investigation.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the man remained in CBSA custody.

The public was put on alert shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday when the man — a U.S. citizen — fled from the secondary inspection area on the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge.

Authorities learned that the blue pickup truck the man had driven across the border was stolen.

He abandoned the vehicle and was seen running west of Huron Church Road and Girardot Avenue.

A member of the public later spotted the man asking for rides at the Husky Station on County Road 46.

The citizen contacted police, who quickly arrived and apprehended the subject.

Asked how the man managed to reach the Husky Station with no vehicle, D’Asti said police believe he either took a taxi or obtained a ride from a member of the public.

The man was initially flagged as “possibly armed,” but D’Asti said no weapons were found on his person or in the vehicle.

D’Asti said WPS will not be releasing the man’s name, as the case is now the purview of CBSA.

dchen@windsorstar.com

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/border-runner-case-to-be-handled-by-cbsa/feed0A U.S. man who crossed the border in a stolen truck is put into a prisoner transport by Windsor police officers on Jan. 7, 2015. (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)winstarchenWindsor among entry points for ‘high grade’ cocaine and crystal meth, say OPPhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/windsor-among-entry-points-for-high-grade-cocaine-and-crystal-meth-say-opp
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/windsor-among-entry-points-for-high-grade-cocaine-and-crystal-meth-say-opp#commentsFri, 23 May 2014 00:57:36 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=347114]]>Windsor’s border crossings were among those used by criminals to smuggle high grade drugs direct from Mexico into Ontario, say provincial police.

OPP have identified Windsor, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, and Southern Manitoba as points of entry for the cocaine and methamphetamine seized in Project Greymouth — a nine-month joint forces investigation.

“What we’re alleging is we’ve knocked off a source,” said Det. Insp. Steve Clegg of OPP after a press conference in London on Thursday.

“The methamphetamine is 100 per cent pure. It hasn’t been what we call ‘stepped on.’ And the same goes for the cocaine. It has come back from analysis as very, very high quality.”

A total of 12 kilograms of coke and 3.5 kilos of crystal meth — with a combined street value of about $1.48 million — were intercepted in the project. Also seized were four vehicles, quantities of cash, and a stun gun.

A map showing the flow of drugs and money intercepted by Project Greymouth. (Handout / The Windsor Star)

OPP executed warrants from May 12 to 16, resulting in the arrest of 12 people — most of them Norfolk County residents — and the laying of 49 charges.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a 13th individual who police believe is now out of the country.

Investigators believe the drugs were being imported and trafficked by three distinct rings operating independent of each other. “This is an enterprise business,” Clegg noted.

Regarding possible connections between the accused and known criminal groups, Clegg said: “We’re not definitively identifying which other criminal organizations (could be involved). Suffice it to say, these products from Mexico are being distributed to other networks for further distribution.”

Clegg said Project Greymouth involved undercover work and officially began in August 2013.

“I can tell you the information has been coming forward for a number of years through intelligence sources,” he added. “The investigation is not over yet.”

The only hint was a note in the company log at Nature’s Finest Produce in Chatham about a visit by immigration officials on Sept. 25, 2012.

Nicole Stallaert, head of human resources at Nature’s Finest Produce, said she had no idea Canada Border Services Agency officers had arrested 17 of her workers that day, held them in jail and deported them.

The raid happened during a busy time when the farm was using temp agencies to hire extra workers to pick carrots, she said. None of the workers who were arrested were on the company payroll.

“We have certainly heard of things like this happening. Lots of greenhouse workers use temp agencies. We like to imagine in a perfect world, if you’re using a temp agency, it’s a reputable temp agency and they’re using people who actually have work visas,” Stallaert said. “It makes me so sad for these people…. It turns my stomach, to be honest.”

Essex County’s farms and greenhouses make heavy use of federal programs that allow them to hire thousands of temporary workers from around the world, doing work their employers say Canadians aren’t willing to do.

The programs are governed by a set of strict rules. One is that workers can’t change jobs without getting a permit — even if they’re abused, underpaid or getting less work than they were promised.

Documents from detention reviews obtained by The Star through an access to information request provide a glimpse into the world of underground, illegal migrant work that helps workers and employers bypass the rules. A network of agents operating in the Windsor region matches migrant workers looking for a new employer with farms and greenhouses looking for flexible, temporary labour without going through the mountains of paperwork required to hire them legally.

Cathy Kolar, a community legal worker with Legal Assistance of Windsor who sometimes represents detained migrant workers, said Canada’s strict rules have created a demand for a shadowy network of middlemen. Many workers whose detention review documents were analyzed by The Star told immigration officials they switched jobs without authorization to get more hours to pay five-figure debts to recruiters who brought them to Canada in the first place.

There are few resources for migrant workers trying to navigate the complicated rules of the temporary foreign worker program, leaving them vulnerable to agents who tell them they’ll take care of things for a fee, Kolar said.

“They find themselves in a position where they do not have access to settlement services, do not have access to social services. They do not have access to and do not know government officials who can support them and assist them.”

Agents make their money by pocketing the difference between the below-minimum wage rate paid to the workers and the rate the agent charges the greenhouse or farm for providing the labour, she said. The agents pay the workers in cash.

Sometimes the greenhouse owners know the workers are undocumented and sometimes they don’t, Kolar said. She said it’s often more of a don’t ask, don’t tell situation, with agents operating like legitimate temp agencies and advertising openly on sites like Kijiji.

Detained workers had a common story to tell, according to notes from interviews with immigration officials submitted as part of their detention reviews. Many of them said they weren’t getting enough hours or weren’t being treated well at the job they were authorized to work and were approached by a recruiter who said he would take care of the paperwork for them to take a new job, only to learn that paperwork was never processed when they were arrested.

It’s unjust that migrant workers face jail and deportation for changing jobs, something that’s a basic right for Canadian citizens, said Shelley Gilbert, Legal Assistance of Windsor’s co-ordinator of social work. “At some point, I think it will wither away all of our rights and who we are as a people internationally.”

The documents obtained by the Star are related to detention hearings for the workers arrested at Nature’s Finest Produce and four other farms and greenhouses in the Windsor region between Jan. 1, 2012 and July 16, 2013. The CBSA detained a total of 30 workers during that period.

Among the Star’s findings:

The hourly wage most workers made under the table was $9.

Most of the detainees worked 60 to 72 hours a week, without overtime pay.

Out of the 30 workers detained, 21 of them had valid work visas – just not for the employers at which they were arrested.

All but one were deported. Seventeen received an exclusion order barring them from returning to Canada for one year. Four received a departure order, which means they had to leave Canada within 30 days, but are not barred from returning. The documents don’t specify the terms of deportation for the remaining workers.

The oldest of the detained workers was 65 and the youngest was 25.

About two-thirds of the detained workers were women.

Ninety per cent of detained workers were from Southeast Asian countries. Fourteen were from Thailand, 12 were from Vietnam, one was from Indonesia and the remaining three were from Jamaica, Mexico and Poland.

A man we’re calling Clinton Williams was one of those detainees. The Star agreed not to publish his real name, release his location or disclose other potentially identifying details because he’s afraid of repercussions from Canadian immigration officials for criticizing his treatment in detention.

He spent four days in the Windsor Jail for remaining in Canada after his contract with his authorized employer expired. Like many Windsor-region detainees held for longer than a few days, authorities then transferred him to the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre.

“They handcuffed my feet, my wrists, put a belt on my waist and a chain on my belt attached to my hands where my handcuff is,” Williams said of his ride to Toronto. “I’m not going to tell them how to do their job, but I don’t think it’s right to treat a human being like that. I’m not a criminal.”

Finding under-the-table work was easy, Williams said. He said word spreads about the dozen-odd agents operating in the Windsor region, connecting people with jobs if they’re willing to work off the books for less than minimum wage.

The detention review documents focus on the worker being held in custody and rarely name the agents that were employing them. The only identifiable third party employer named in the documents was Infinity Job Services, which allegedly employed a Jamaican man working at Great Northern Farms at the time of his arrest in November 2012.

Infinity Job Services did not respond to repeated interview requests. A man who identified himself as the president of Great Northern Farms declined to comment.

All the third parties involved can make it difficult to determine who is the employer, and therefore who should be charged. Asked why the CBSA appears to focus enforcement on workers rather than employers, CBSA spokeswoman Jean D’Amelio Swyer said in an email that “criminal investigations are complex as they could prove the guilt or innocence of an accused.”

The CBSA has not charged any employers in connection with the four raids. No charges were warranted against Nature’s Finest, it said in an emailed statement. Three of the other farms and greenhouses remain under investigation.

Only four employers in the Windsor region have ever been charged with employing a non-Canadian without a work permit, according to the CBSA.

The most serious sentence of the four local employers convicted was three months house arrest and a $35,000 fine. The least serious sentence was a conditional discharge and $4,000 donation to charity.

Meanwhile, about two dozen unauthorized foreign workers are arrested and detained in a typical year.

The workers “are the ones who are ultimately punished and not the ones who are causing the distress,” said Gilbert, the Legal Assistance of Windsor social work service co-ordinator. “I don’t understand why [we’re…] not going after the people who have deceived them, who are exploiting them, who are tricking them into illegality.”

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/underground-world-of-off-the-books-migrant-work-revealed-by-star-investigation/feed0Tomatoes are picked at a commercial greenhouse. (Associated Press files)clairebrownellPrepare for long border waits over the Easter weekendhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/prepare-for-long-border-waits-over-the-easter-weekend
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/prepare-for-long-border-waits-over-the-easter-weekend#commentsWed, 16 Apr 2014 00:51:37 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=334620]]>Long weekends mean long lines at the border and the Canada Border Services Agency has some tips for making that crossing as smooth as possible.

The CBSA processed about 338,000 travellers — more than the entire population of Essex County — at Windsor border crossings last Easter weekend. The border agency says it’s prepared for the rush, monitoring traffic patterns and volumes and calling in additional resources.

The CBSA advised travellers to:

Leave extra time in case of delays

Have documents ready for inspection

Remember to declare all goods acquired outside of Canada

Check in case there are restrictions on goods you plan to bring into Canada. There are some restrictions on certain fruits, vegetables, plants and meats.

Border crossers can check Canada-bound wait times three ways: Through the CBSA’s mobile site at cbsa.gc.ca/mobile, through its website at cbsa.gc.ca, or on Twitter through @CBSA_ABB for the Ambassador Bridge or @CBSA_DCT for the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

The local protest of about 70 CBSA workers, who also targeted the office of MP Jeff Watson (Conservative — Essex), was part of a national day of action to highlight that customs officers have been without a contract since June 2011. In particular, CBSA workers want the Treasury Board, which negotiates on behalf of the government, to guarantee that customs officers cannot be terminated for failing future firearms tests.

“The main stumbling block, and the reason we’re here today, is that the Treasury Board wants to remove clauses in our current contract that protect us in the event we’re unable to recertify with our firearms,” said Mike Fummerton, first vice-president of the Customs and Immigration Union Local 18, which represents more than 500 workers in Windsor. “The bottom line is, we protect the Canadian border, the Canadian economy, the Canadian people, but our employer doesn’t want to protect us.”

Fummerton said the immigration union, part of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, has not challenged the governments proposals on pay increases. He said a uniformed customs officer at the top of the pay scale make a little more than $58,000 a year.

About six years ago, Canadian customs officers were armed for the first time, at the urging of the union, which argued that its members could not properly defend the border unless they were armed.

Fummerton said arming officers has already helped protect Canadians. Before the addition of firearms, Canadian customs officers released any traveller considered armed or dangerous and alerted Windsor police.

“Because of our push for arming and because we now have armed officers, we;re trained to deal with that at the border, so we;re not putting those people on Windsor streets,” said Fummerton. “We have drawn guns on quite a few occasions. We have yet had to point them and we hope we never have to.”

Ironically, it is the union’s call for arming officers that has led to the most recent worry over job security.

Fummerton said that achieving a shooting skills rating that the CBSA deems satisfactory is difficult. And he said the controlled defensive tactics course is physically demanding. That’s why union leaders worry that as officers age, it might become more difficult for them to achieve the standards now required by the CBSA.

The CBSA did not respond to questions from the Star by the end of the business day Thursday.

Frustrated customs officers protested Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, outside the Canada Border Services Agency offices in Windsor, demanding a ‘fair contract’ that includes job protection. The local protest of about 70 CBSA workers was part of a national day of action to highlight that customs officers have been without a contract since June 2011. In particular, CBSA workers want the Treasury Board, which negotiates on behalf of the government, to guarantee that customs officers cannot be terminated for failing firearms tests in the future. (JASON KRYK/The Windsor Star)

About 50 Canadian customs officers staged a protest outside of their offices in Windsor Thursday as part of a national day of action. (TwitPic: Jason Kryk/The Windsor Star)

About 50 customs officers rallied on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor Thursday for a new contract. (TwitPic: Jason Kryk/The Windsor Star)

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/customs-officers-rally-in-windsor-for-new-contract/feed0Frustrated customs officers protested Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, outside the Canada Border Services Agency offices in Windsor, demanding a 'fair contract' that includes job protection. The local protest of about 70 CBSA workers was part of a national day of action to highlight that customs officers have been without a contract since June 2011. In particular, CBSA workers want the Treasury Board, which negotiates on behalf of the government, to guarantee that customs officers cannot be terminated for failing firearms tests in the future. (JASON KRYK/The Windsor Star)winstarpearsonFrustrated customs officers protested Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, outside the Canada Border Services Agency offices in Windsor, demanding a 'fair contract' that includes job protection. The local protest of about 70 CBSA workers was part of a national day of action to highlight that customs officers have been without a contract since June 2011. In particular, CBSA workers want the Treasury Board, which negotiates on behalf of the government, to guarantee that customs officers cannot be terminated for failing firearms tests in the future. (JASON KRYK/The Windsor Star)About 50 Canadian customs officers staged a protest outside of their offices in Windsor Thursday as part of a national day of action. (TwitPic: Jason Kryk/The Windsor Star)About 50 customs officers rallied on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor Thursday for a new contract. (TwitPic: Jason Kryk/The Windsor Star)Man caught trying to smuggle over 70 live turtles into Canadahttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/man-caught-trying-to-smuggle-70-plus-live-turtles-into-canada
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/man-caught-trying-to-smuggle-70-plus-live-turtles-into-canada#commentsTue, 16 Jul 2013 23:00:57 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=220212]]>A Windsor man has been arrested at the Ambassador Bridge after allegedly trying to smuggle more than 70 live turtles and tortoises into Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency said Tuesday the arrest and seizure was made in the late afternoon of July 6 after the 22-year-old was directed to secondary inspection.

While searching the vehicle, border services officers discovered two boxes containing 76 live turtles and tortoises, worth more than $6,000, hidden in a compartment normally used for stowing seats.

Xin Hong Tong faces charges under the Customs Act of non-reporting, making false statements and attempting to evade payment of duties and taxes. He was released but his next appearance is Aug. 12 in Ontario court.

Environment Canada enforcement officers took custody of the reptiles. More charges are expected under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act. Environment Canada did not identify the species, pending further investigation. but the federal government agency will care for the animals until the court case is settled. If the turtles and tortoises are forfeited, Environment Canada could find homes for the reptiles in zoos or other suitable facilities.

“Reptile smuggling is not uncommon in Canada,” Environment Canada spokesman Mark Johnson said in an email. “It ranges from the illegal import of one specimen to be used as a pet, to multi-specimen and species commercial-size imports numbering in the thousands. Reptiles are readily obtained from international breeders at reduced wholesale prices and if the smuggling attempt is successful, one can realize a significant profit.

“In this instance, Environment Canada believes these turtles and tortoises were most likely destined for the pet trade.”

Though some turtles are allowed as pets in Windsor, according to Ann Kalinowski, the city’s manager of bylaw enforcement, it depends on their size and type. Some might be banned under the city’s exotic animal bylaw.

Melanie Coulter, executive director of the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, said her agency occasionally takes in exotic animals, though never as many as 76 turtles at once.

She says smuggling is usually dangerous for the animals.

“It’s often a problem,” Coulter said. “Sometimes the animals can be threatened in the area they come from. A lot of the animals caught in the wild for the pet trade have a lot of mortality along the way, either in the smuggling process or when they’re being caught. Certainly, any time animals are brought in illegally, it’s not a good thing.”

“This seizure exemplifies the great work that CBSA border services officers do on a daily basis to protect our borders from various types of smuggling,” said Tamara Allard, CBSA acting district director. “The CBSA administers over 90 pieces of legislation that includes those on behalf of other government departments and agencies that govern the admissibility of people and goods into and out of Canada, including plants and animals.”

Occasional seizures of exotic animals suggest there is a market in Canada. On July 30, 2012, Andrew Fruck of Niagara-on-the-Lake was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay restitution of more than $5,700 after trying to smuggle almost 1,500 reptiles — tortoises, turtles and snakes — into Canada via the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge.

On Aug. 2, 2012, Kwok Sing Lee of Vancouver was fined $7,500 for attempting to import 29 song birds from China

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/man-caught-trying-to-smuggle-70-plus-live-turtles-into-canada/feed0An Ontario man was busted at the Ambassador Bridge for allegedly trying to smuggle these turtles into Canada. (Handout: CBSA)winstarpearsonTrucker pleads guilty to smuggling South Asian drug across Detroit-Windsor borderhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/trucker-pleads-guilty-to-smuggling-south-asian-drug-across-detroit-windsor-border
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/trucker-pleads-guilty-to-smuggling-south-asian-drug-across-detroit-windsor-border#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 21:35:17 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=212200]]>A trucker has pleaded guilty to bringing hundreds of kilos of dried poppy pods across the Detroit-Windsor border — the first drug case of its kind at the Ambassador Bridge.

Anoop Kumar Ubbu, an Etobicoke resident, admitted in court on Wednesday that he tried to smuggle 528 kilograms of poppy pods — which are the main ingredient for an opiate known as “doda” — into Canada via his tractor trailer.

A shipment of dried poppy pods is shown after a 2009 seizure by CBSA. (Handout / The Windsor Star)

The drug is reputedly popular among South Asian blue collar workers — such as truckers, cab drivers, and factory employees. Doda consumption is said to induce a short narcotic high, followed by a period of wakefulness.